Which turfgrasses and landscape plants can be grown without supplemental irrigation or fertilization?
Some turf species may not need water to survive, but all need water to stay green. Drought tolerance implies that the grasses will “fire” (turn brown) and reduce leaf area to conserve water. Some, such as bahiagrass or centipedegrass, will exhibit better recovery from drought stress. St. Augustinegrass and most of the zoysiagrass varieties will not generally persist well without supplemental irrigation during times of limited rainfall. Fertilization follows a similar trend—bahiagrass and centipedegrass have low fertilization requirements and can persist with relatively low levels of nutrients.
